Injuries and problems off the field can derail otherwise promising football careers and hurt a player's standing with the card collecting hobby. That's the simple explanation of the case of Jamal Lewis, a running back who owns the NFL record for most rushing yards in a game and nearly broke the mark for most yards in a season.
Much was expected of Lewis when he broke into the league in 2000, the fifth overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens out of the University of Tennessee. He didn't disappoint, piling up 1364 yards and six touchdowns in his first season and becoming only the second rookie ever to rush for over 100 yards in a Super Bowl as the Ravens rolled to a championship.
Before Lewis could become a superstar and collectors could go wild over his cards, his career hit a speed bump. An injury forced him to miss the entire 2001 season, though he returned in 2002 and posted numbers similar to his rookie campaign. Still, not many foresaw what turned out to be a historic 2003.
Lewis' blend of speed and power made him seem almost unstoppable in his fourth season, when he rushed for 2066 yards and fell just short of the single season record. The hobby responded and he seemed poised to become a top back for years to come. But Lewis was arrested on a charge of attempting to distribute cocaine, forced to serve some prison time and suspended by the NFL for the first two games of the 2004 season.
He returned and managed two more 1000-yard seasons for the Ravens, but he clearly hasn't been the same back, averaging less than four yards per carry and ripping off far fewer long runs as he played through a number of nagging injuries. Released by the Ravens in February 2007, he signed with the rival Cleveland Browns a week later.
If Lewis can run his way back into the hearts and minds of football card collectors, he has a ton of rookie cards from which to choose. Some of the more limited ones include his UD Graded # 141, an autographed card numbered to 500, and his Bowman Chrome # 170, with a print run of 499 copies.
Jamal Lewis 2000 Rookie Cards
- Absolute # 160 - #'d to 3000
- Aurora # 12
- Black Diamond # 162 - jersey card
- Bowman # 170
- Bowman Chrome # 170 - #'d to 499
- Bowman Reserve # 7 - #'d to 999
- Bowman's Best # 108 - #'d to 1499
- Collector's Edge HG # 105
- Collector's Edge Masters # 202 - #'d to 1000
- Collector's Edge Odyssey # 104 - #'d to 999
- Collector's Edge Supreme # 158 - #'d to 2000
- Collector's Edge T3 # 154 - #'d to 999
- Crown Royale # 127
- Dominion # 221
- Donruss # 171 - #'d to 1325
- Donruss Elite # 137 - #'d to 2000
- E-X # 104 - #'d to 1500
- Finest # 147 - #'d to 2400
- Fleer Focus # 237 - #'d to 2499
- Fleer Gamers # 131
- Fleer Mystique # 121 - #'d to 2000
- Fleer Showcase # 114 - #'d to 1000
- Fleer Tradition # 306
- Greats of the Game # 103 - #'d to 1500
- Impact # 52
- Leaf Certified # 224 - #'d to 1000
- Leaf Limited # 411 - jersey/football swatch card #'d to 1000
- Leaf Rookies and Stars # 103 - #'d to 1000, first 200 autographed
- Metal # 268
- Pacific # 425
- Pacific Omega # 155 - #'d to 500
- Pacific Prism Prospects # 108 - #'d to 1000
- Paramount # 19
- Playoff Contenders # 106 - autographed
- Playoff Momentum # 102 - #'d to 750
- Playoff Prestige # 261 - #'d to 2500
- Private Stock # 104 - #'d to 278
- Quantum Leaf # 311
- Revolution # 103 - #'d to 300
- Score # 287
- SkyBox # 226
- SP Authentic # 132 - #'d to 1250
- SPx # 144 - autographed jersey card #'d to 2000
- Stadium Club # 171
- Topps # 378
- Topps Chrome # 248 - #'d to 1650
- Topps Gallery # 151
- Topps Gold Label Class 1 # 90
- Topps Season Opener # 210
- Topps Stars # 160
- UD Graded # 141 - autographed, #'d to 500
- UD Ionix # 89 - #'d to 2000
- Ultimate Victory # 117 - #'d to 2000
- Ultra # 237
- Upper Deck # 245
- Upper Deck Encore # 245
- Upper Deck Gold Reserve # 196 - #'d to 2500
- Upper Deck Legends # 117 - #'d to 2000
- Upper Deck MVP # 207
- Upper Deck Ovation # 73 - #'d to 2500
- Upper Deck Pros and Prospects # 101 - #'d to 1000
- Upper Deck Victory # 297
- Vanguard # 127 - #'d to 762